The present invention relates to the repair of pipes used to transport water, gas and other fluids, and particularly a device for stopping a leak in a pipe.
A leak in a water or gas pipe may be repaired by different techniques. One of these techniques consists in stopping the leak by applying an elastomer on the cracks present on the pipe by means of a sleeve. Such a sleeve is comprised of two half-shells, the interior wall of which is made of elastomer and adapted to surround the pipe at the area where the cracks are located. The half-shells are secured together and clamped to the pipe by threaded rods or other means.
Unfortunately, stopping leaks with this type of sleeve presents numerous inconveniences. The sleeve must be clamped with considerable force so that the elastomer applies a force greater than the pressure of the fluid inside the pipe, which can sometimes reach 100 bar. The two half-shells which form the sleeve are generally made of steel and thus quite heavy and expensive. Implementation is delicate and painstaking, and may take 7 to 8 hours. Furthermore, new cracks may occur under the clamping force if the operation is not performed properly. Finally, the half-shells used to form the sleeve are adapted to a specific diameter of pipe, requiring as many diameters of shells as there are pipe diameters.
This is why the object of the invention is to provide a device for stopping a leak in a pipe which can be quickly installed and does not require considerable clamping force.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for stopping a leak in a pipe that is light-weight, inexpensive and which can be adapted to pipes of different diameters.
The invention relates therefore to a device for stopping a leak in a pipe having at least one crack, comprising an elastomer sheet applied against the crack with a force applicator and a clamping mechanism arranged around the pipe for applying a force to the force applicator. The invention is characterized in that the force applicator includes shearing elements arranged radially in relation to the pipe and applying shearing forces on the elastomer on the location of the crack, forcing the elastomer to be deformed so as to match the shape of the crack, thereby stopping the leak.